First Republic of New Englia
New Englia officially known as Republic of New Englia, is a nation on the eastern coast of Dovani that occupies land between the Rift Mountains and the Verranderlijke Ocean. It is bordered to the north by Kazulia and to the West and South by the Eastern Territories of Greater Hulstria. It was founded in 2348 after an expedition sponsored by Peter Lucas, during his dictatorship. After the Second Kirlawan Civil War led to the reuniting of the mother country in 2369, the Republic of Kirlawa officially recognised New Englia as its colony. The majority of the population are Welsh, with a significant group being Irish who are the descendants of Kirlawan colonists. There is a large creole minority, as well as small numbers of people from various Dovani tribes. The events that transpired in the New Englian Crisis lead to an argeement between the countries of Kazulia, Hulstrian, Kirlawa, and Sekowo to jointly operated the territory in a council-government fashion mandated by the "Treaty of New Indrala", the treaty that ended the crisis. In 2773, it will be decided if New Englia will become an independent nation, be absorbed into other Dovani territory, or continue to be jointly-operated. The conference supported a vote by the people to decide their future. The vote showed 75% of people favored New Englia becoming an independent country. On March 1, 2780 New Englia became an independent nation and held its first elections in March 2783 to determine the HoS and the seats in the National Assembly. =History= The original inhabitants of New Englia were thought to have been Irish. It's hard to confirm this as tribes that inhabited the area did not keep records and those that did exist were often destroyed. It is thought that the Irish migrated to the area in the year 1000. The Irish are believed to have been moving through the Rift Mountains after leaving their Welsh forebears on the Northern Plain. New Englia would come into play in 2348 when Peter Lucas set up a colony in order to expand the power of Kirlawa and to form a legacy. The Lucasite colonists were largely fanatical fascists, and had no respect for the native people. On arrival, they enslaved thousands and massacred whole villages in order to establish control. For the first few decades, conditions for the Irish were terrible, and many fled into the Rift Mountains. From 2389 - 2702, New Englia prospered as under Kirlawan rule gaining more autonomy. In 2702, New Englia gained international fame of sorts, when Kazullia threatened to take over the island and nearly lead to a war. After a peace conference, New Englia would be governed jointly by 4 nations until 2780 when it was granted independence from Kirlawa. =Geography= Physiographic Divisions Climate =Politics & Government= The Republic of New Englia is a federal republic with three branches of government each with its own powers as guaranteed by the Constitution of New Englia. The executive branch is headed by the President of New Englia who is the Head of State and Government. The position is aided by the Vice President of New Englia, a cabinet consisting of 10 members and numerous independent agencies. The President serves a three-year term and is not subject to any term limits and are elected directly via the popular vote. The legislative branch is known as the Congress of New Englia. It is a bicameral legislature with 350 total seats featuring the National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly has 300 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a three-year term. The Senate has 50 members with each state having ten senators, elected at-large to three-year terms.The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court of New Englia which serves as the highest court in the land and is led by the Chief Justice who along with four other members, serve for life. Beneath the Supreme Court are the New Englia Court of Appeals, New Englia District Courts and the Provincial Courts. New Englia is separated into 5 administrative divisions known as provinces. The provincial governments are structured in roughly similar fashion as the federal government. The governor (chief executive) of each province is directly elected along with a uni or bicameral legislature. Some provincial court judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective provinces, while others are elected by popular vote. For most of it's history, New Englia has operated under a multi-party system. For elective offices at the provincial and local level, provincial-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees while, the party selects the candidates for the federal level for subsequent general elections. Currently, there are 5 registered parties that are eligible to hold seats in Congress. The provinces of Rift and Central are conservative while Englia Province is liberal. Lucas and East Dovani Provinces are considered moderate. Political Parties Current Political Parties Administrative Divisions New Englia is divided into five Provinces, that are further divided into counties. The five Provinces are Central, East Dovani, Englia, Lucas and Rift. Each Province is headed by a Governor, elected every three years along with a unicameral or bicameral legislatures that handle issues prescribed to local governments and a Provincial Supreme Court that deals with judicial issues pertaining to state laws and issues. Cities and towns elect their mayor and city council directly through elections. =Economy= The economy of New Englia is in the process of expanding and had experienced a period of economic growth from 2880-2893. Even with a 13 year period of growth, New Englia is still officially listed as a Developing Nation because a majority of the rural areas lack sufficient healthcare, education and other services. A weak national economy also contributes, but it's developing albeit at a slow pace. Still, the poeple of New Englia enjoy a high level of living as the average income was measured at 53,800 FRX. The unemployment index in the nation is currently at 6.8%. The Eastern Dovani Exchange (EDEX-100) opened in November 2787 and is the first & only stcok exchange in the nation. It is becoming a rising player in the economy of Dovani and in New Englia. New Englia has experienced only one recession and that was the Recession of 2840 which lasted for 12 years from 2840 to 2852. During those years, the country's unemployment rate peaked at 9.4% and the nation's commercial sector suffered when companies left the nation. Mining New Englia is rich in mineral resources, especially coal, iron, natural gas, aluminim, oil & tin. Kirlawan companies have a considerable presence, and the coastal plain is becoming heavily industrialised. The presence of oil has led to companies like Dovani Petroluem Incorporated, Fisk Southern, Rising Sun Petroleum and Xenron to become considerable forces in the New Englian oil exploration game by setting up their headquarters in the nation and with the recent end to a 130 year moratourium on offshore oil drilling, New Englia expects to be a major player in the coming years when it comes to exploration and exportation of oil. Long term plan call for the construction of a natural gas and oil pipelines to transfer them to various ports on western Dovani and supply the Eastern Territories and the rest of Dovani. The foothills of the Rift Mountains are also well known for their rich soil, which makes the growing of coffee, chocolate and other cash crops profitable. Commerce New Englia is also a point of trade between Dovani and Artania. Food and raw materials from Eastern Dovani are exported along with New Englian products, and consumer goods are imported. The nation has been interested in joining various free trade agreements to stimulate economic growth. The creation of the Englia Space Organization (ESO) created jobs and brought manufacturing back to the nation due to the construction of the Space Shuttle. It also marked the return of many Defense Contractors such as X-1 Aerospace and Lockler Marian. Cities such as New Indrala and Plymouth ahve become financial centers and the home of several banks such as Bank of New Englia and Southern Union. Energy New Englia currently generates about 33% of its energy from nuclear power, 32% comes from natural gas, 18% is hydroelectricity, 7% from wind, 6% is solar and the remaining 4% is generated from coal. New Englia is in the process of constructing more nuclear power plants while subsequently phasing out coal power plants which are dirty and produce pollution. =Demographics= New Englia is one of the most multicultural nations in Dovani. It has benefited from the many ethnicities such Asli and Welsh that make up the nation. The nation is unique in that it has no clear majority when it comes to race. Whites account for less than 35% when it comes to race. Most New Englians are either Christian or Buddhist. In recent years, the population has began to level off in the upper 50 millions of people with spikes from time to time. All information pertaining to demographics is recorded from the National Census which is taken every 20 years. Ethnic Groups There are four main ethnic groups in New Englia are the Irish, Welsh, Gao-Showa and Asli. The oldest of them is the Irish which are believed to be descendants from Eastern Welsh tribes who migrated into the Rift Mountains. The Irish was the majority ethnic group in the country until 2875 when the Welsh overtook them. The Welsh are the largest ethnic group present in the country and were originally from Dranland and migrated to New Englia during the split of the Eastern and Western Welsh tribes. The eventual Welsh Genocide also increased New Englia's Welsh population. The Gao-Showa have come to the nation at different times during the last 130 years. Many came from nations like Hulstria and Indrala during the 2890s to seek a new life, but the majority would come from Sekowo between 2930-2945 to escape the political and economic instability and an ongoing civil war. The Asli are the newest ethnicity in New Englia and have come from Talmoria to seek a new life. Languages English and Gaelic are the official languages in New Englia, however at the Federal level, English is the official language and the decline of interest in the Gaelic language as led to almost all in the nation to speak English. Other languages spoken include Welsh, Gao-Showan and Asli. Religion New Englia has many religions and no single one dominates the nation as it once did in the 27th century when there were virtually no immigrants. 43% consider themselves Christian. Of that 43%, 30% are Catholic, 35% are Protestant, 23% are Orthodox and 12% are Non-Catholic/Other Christians. 36% are buddhist, 11% are Jewish, 13% are Agnostic, Atheist or other non-religious. =Culture= New Englia is one of the most multicultural nations in Dovani due to the numerous ethnicities that make up the nation. New Englians are known for their laid back demeanor and friendly hospitality. The many ethnicities that inhabit the country display there culture and heritage here unselfishly and as a result, New Englia has numerous holidays and festivals. =Infrastructure & Transportation= Infrastructure Transportation Everyday personal transportation in New Englia is increasingly becoming dominated by the automobile as. In 2900, there were 180 automobiles per 1,000 New Englians, compared to a staggering 302 automobiles per 1,000 New Englians as of 2991. All roads in the country with the exception of the Federal Highway System are funded and maintained by there respective province. The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned, while most major airports are publicly owned; a total of 323 airports can be found in the country with less than a third receiving commercial traffic. While transport of goods by rail was once extensive, it has shrunk due to the domination of the automobile. The movement of goods and services via the water has surpassed rail usage and is second to the automobile. Mass transit is steadily becoming a choice of people living in or commuting to urban areas as has bicycle usage which is extremely high in suburban areas. =See Also= Constitution of New Englia Englia Space Organization Map of New Englia McLaren Political Dynasty Military of New Englia